PGA Tour Gets Set To Hit Montreal In 2014 Canadian Open
By Jared Book
Graham DeLaet is the top-rated Canadian golfer who enters hoping to end a long drought for Canadians at the PGA Tour’s Canadian Open. No Canadian has won the event in 60 years.
In fact, no Canadian has won a PGA Tour event since Stephen Ames in 2009. DeLaet and Ames will be joined by other top Canadians Mike Weir and David Hearn who made the cut and had an impressive British Open as a last minute replacement.
The fact that the tournament is held the week after the major on the other side of the Atlantic means some bigger names are missing. However, there is no shortage of name recognition.
Retief Goosen, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk are among veteran names in the event. Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Charl Schwartzel and Hunter Mahan are more contemporary names who are in the event.
DeLaet has yet to win on the PGA Tour and really came to the forefront at last year’s President’s Cup where he was the lone Canadian on the International team.
The event will be held at Ile Bizard’s Royal Montreal Golf Club’s Blue course and starts on Thursday, with other events leading up to it throughout the week. Last year’s champion Brandt Snedeker is also in the field this year.
Royal Montreal held the first Canadian Open back in 1904, but has not held the event since 2001 when Scott Verplank won it. It is only the fourth time the event will be held there since 1980. The event was held at Glen Abbey in Oakville from 1981-1996 before rotating venues.
The first two days will be shown on TSN and The Golf Channel with the weekend being shown on Global and CBS. TV coverage of the event will be in the afternoon from 3-6 Eastern each day.
Rain and thunder storms delayed the start of Wednesday’s Pro-Am but rain should hold off the rest of the week and the humidity should also be more manageable especially on a cooler opening day.